It has been a while since I showed you the progress of the Freedom Quilt, so here is an update.
I started a small study for the quilt, a combination of batik and hand dyed fabrics. I'd been wanting to try the ultra simple log cabin squares and this was an opportunity to try that. I got it partly finished and realized once more that contrast is a quilt designer's best friend. Sometimes I forget that and this little project was a very helpful reminder. Even all those lush colors together start to turn to mud when there are to many of them to close together. I laid it aside, having learned a lot from the process.
Next I decided that I wasn't going to use *just* hand dyed fabrics, I wanted to use my very favorite batik. This happens to be my very favorite batik of all time, it's a Bali batik from Hoffman. Ages ago I blogged about a pre-cut combination of Hoffman fabrics that I had purchased at Rachel's Quilt Patch (my favorite fabric store.) That led to an email from the lovely folks at Hoffman and an offer to pick my favorites from their fabric line. I was THRILLED of course, and before long this delightful confection (along with a few others) showed up on my door step from them. I was (and am) delighted!! All my favorite colors are in there, and so it has become the icon of my color scheme for the Freedom Quilt.
Plus... zebra print! Ages ago I bought a king sized duvet cover in zebra print, so I'll have all the zebra print I want for years to come! And a duvet of zebra would be crazy, but a little touch here and there is perfect. I love zebras, their stripes remind me of finger prints... they are alike in that - each one unique. God's genius at work in the perfect high contrast organic design. I love it.
2.5 inch squares of Hoffman batik, and a small strip of zebra...
Then it's time to add the hand dyed fabrics, all cut in 2.5 inch strips. This is going to be fun!
Then I decided that I wanted a contrasting block. It would have zebra in the middle, a small stripe of hand dyed color, then white. The small project reminded me that I wanted contrast, and white was exactly what I needed.
The pieces are coming together, I have about 40 of each of these blocks.
We'll see what happens next!
Here's to freedom, to beautiful batik and wild zebras!
Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose
